ABC's of Me - 'R'

Today was my day to post a challenge at Scrapbook Challenges! The prompt is 'Remember when...' and I'm asking that you include yourself in the phone and use the word 'remember' somewhere on the layout.
I realize that this picture is pretty horrible, but I was in a rush! haha Hopefully I can get around to taking a better one soon. I'd hate to document this and bright and washed out!

I'm no longer designing for Creative Inspirations, but I'm still using those paints like crazy. I used garnet and copper on the background of this page. And I'm pretty excited about these chipboard letters. They are old Heidi Grace and they come in a gigantic package. I found them at Big Lots for $4. Can't beat that!

I decorated my first cake!

I've always wanted to take the Wilton cake decorating courses. I finally decided to when we got here to Texas because I don't know anyone here... and I don't really have the chance to meet anyone either. I mean, we're only here for 3 months, so it's not a big deal. I just need to get out of the house. Sooo cake decorating class it is!

I am currently taking Cake Decorating Basics, and this is my first cake that I decorated!
We learned how to do a transfer and pressure techniques. I'm really excited about next week though! We finally start learning how to make a few flowers and we ice cupcakes! I will say... I'm HORRIBLE at icing cakes... well, at least I was before this class. Hopefully that will change! :)


I've always wanted

Thank you Pamela!! *SC Blog Hop*

Welcome to Scrapbook Challenges' Thank You Pamela blog hop! Thank you Pamela for all that you've done for us and for inspiring us for so long! If you just happened to stop by and didn't realize there was a hop, you can join the fun at Brynn's blog.

I'm Dani, and I've been around at SC for quite a while. I've really enjoyed my time there and Pamela will be missed greatly! Also, thanks to Brynn for carrying on Scrapbook Challenges!

I picked Sketch 169 for my layout.


My take (this is the first 8x8 layout that I've done in a LONG time):


There are lots of great RAKs up for grabs this weekend from Fancy Pants and Tim Holtz and more!

Now hop on over to Deb's blog to continue the hop!

Coupons and Deals.

This isn't scrapbook related, and I'm sorry. :)

For those of you that don't know, I LOOOOVE couponing and finding good deals. A lot of my friends and family have asked me tons of questions about getting started and finding deals. I started a group on facebook for friends and family, and I wanted to extend an invitation to my blog readers as well. The group is called Coupons and Deals. You are all welcome to join! :)

Also, I started a blog for me to post the deals that I find. I post them along with the coupons that I used to get them. You are all welcome to check that out as well.

My diet.

Hello everyone! I hope Monday is treating you all well! I am hosting a challenge at Scrapbook Challenges this month as a part of the ABC's of Me going on there. My letter is "D". I thought about it long and hard because I knew that drink, dessert, dog, etc were easy ones. Then it hit me.. DIET! I know not all people are on diets, but everyone has a diet! So I challenge you all to scrap it! Head on over to Scrapbook Challenges and enter into the challenge. Posting your page for the challenge will enter you to win the prize from our sponsor this month!

CI Paints + Texture Builder!

It's my day to post on the Creative Inspirations blog again! Today, I'm sharing a layout that I made for a family friend featuring her niece and nephew. I used CI sky blue to 'wash' the background. I realized that CI paints are PERFECT for that! Doesn't the sky blue go perfectly with this line of Sassafras??!I mixed CI sunshine with texture builder to get the effect on the dragonfly. I LOOOVE mixing paints with different mediums... :) For more details, you can see my post on CI here. Also, don't forget about their giveaway! You can win FIVE jars of paint!! :)

Who wants to win some paint?!

Creative Inspirations is giving away 5 jars of paint on the CI blog! The winner gets to choose the colors.. and ladies, there's 50 or so colors to choose from! These paints are so fun.. and shimmery! You'll all love them! All you have to do is go here, become a follower, and leave a comment answering one of the questions in the post! It's that easy! :)

Looking for inspiration...

What inspires me?

My creative juices have stopped flowing. I've been a little preoccupied with life lately, but I reallllly need to go back into the swing of things. I'm hoping that breaking down my journey to find inspiration.. well.. inspires me. :)

The first place I usually look for inspiration is in home decor. I'm sure at least some of you watch HGTV, right? Well, my very favorite designer is Sarah Richardson. Out of all of the things that she has done that I have liked, I still can't get one room out of my head. It's the bathroom from the farmhouse with the yellows and grays.. and that amazing claw-foot tub.

Isn't it amazing?! I feel like it's perfect for me.. lol! It's clean looking, but it's also vintage and comfortable. I love the colors and how calming it is. I wish I could get this through in my scrapbooking.

The second place I look is in online clothing stores... usually for children's clothes. I love the patterns and bright colors that are usually found in kids' clothes. And if you're lucky, you'll come across a store that also has great photography. That's always a plus. I'm a huge fan of finding inspiration on zulily.com. I swear everything on that site is amazing! :)

And lastly, I look at fabric swatches and online fabric stores. I'm not going to lie, usually it's the home decor section. I have some sort of infatuation with home decor I guess. Anyways, looking through all of the patterns and color combinations is like looking through patterned paper at the craft store... only this time, I don't spend way too much money to add to my stash that I barely use to begin with. hahaha!

Combat boots and flip flops..

Today is my day to post on the Creative Inspirations blog. I will be posting every other Thursday at least through March, so everyone go check out the blog and be sure to follow!! :)

I made a layout yesterday using rustic red CI paint.

You can read the details here :)

Everyone enjoy your Thursday... and if any of you are looking for good deals, check your local Target today because the toy clearance should be marked down to 75% this morning! Sooo.. that's where I'm headed!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!!!!

I hope you all enjoyed the Scrapbook Challenges blog hop! It was lots of fun! Thanks to all of you that participated!

On to the good stuff... Random.org tells me that my winner is....
But now, Amanda, you're probably wondering, "Well.. what did I win?" Yes, I know, life got in the way, and I never did post a picture of the prize. But I can tell you now.. you have won 3 page kits from Storytellers Club.Amanda, email me at tdsmith22@gmail.com with your address please! :)

And in other news.. 2011 is starting out with new things that I've never experienced before. I finally felt an earthquake in the middle of the night last night! Insane.. really. It wasn't a big one or anything so it wasn't scary, it was just weird. So now I can check that off of my list of things to do while we're in California.. LOL :)

Y'all have a great Wednesday!

A new year, a new SC blog hop!!

Hi everyone! Welcome to the Scrapbook Challenges blog hop! I hope that you are enjoying the hop so far! You should have hopped here from Yara's blog. If you are just joining us, you can start at the beginning at Pamela's blog.

My name is Dani, and I am returning to the design team for my third term. I just love SC so much that I just can't get enough! :) For those of you that don't know me, I'm 22 and a stay at home mom and wife. I enjoy anything and everything crafty and anything outdoors. I like getting messy with any and all paint the most! I also love photography and couponing.

For the hop, the entire design team was asked to make a project based on this sketch.

Here's mine!
I used Sassafras Mix and Mend, with a few other odds and ends mixed in there. I love these pictures! I've been wanting to scrap them for a while and I thought that this paper and this sketch were perfect for them!

And now to the good stuff.......

PRIZES!!!!
1) For one person who leaves a comment on all the blogs in the hop, they will get the new Spring Market collection from Webster's Pages, including chipboard buttons and twine.
2) For one person who does a layout based on the sketch and posts in the HOP ON section, they will get the Be Mine collection from Echo Park Paper Company.
3) For inviting people to join the group, one person will get a collection of adhesive from Helmar.
4) For one new member over the weekend, they will get some new stamps from Unity and Webster's Pages.

And everyone who comments on this post and becomes (or already is) a follower of my blog will be entered to receive a special RAK from me. I will update later with a picture! :)

And now hop on to Chanell's blog!!

Who's ready for a monster bash..... in July?

I'm already planning my son's second birthday party. He turns two at the end of July. Is that bad? I just want to be prepared. I feel like last year I wasn't, and I think the party could have been better than it was. Soo.. I started on his invitations today!

His party is going to be a monster bash. I got the idea when I was looking at the issue of Taste of Home that had the monster cupcakes in it. They were sooo adorable that I just knew that I had to make them! I thought they'd be perfect for a birthday party!

This is one of the cupcakes (picture from Taste of Home.. I haven't made them yet..lol):
So. I've picked out the cupcakes. Since it's a little hard to find monster themed stuff in the colors that I want, I decided that I'm going to have to make a lot of things from scratch. And guess what paper line is in the exact colors that I want to use?? Jillibean Soup Monster Stew!!
I used Jillibean Soup papers and Making Memories mini alphas. Also, I just received my Creative Inspirations DT box today! So, I used royal purple on the outside scallops and the circles on the monster (that's why they glimmer). I also used sky blue (the hair) and fairy dust (eyes and teeth), but you can't see them very well in the picture. Doesn't this look like a 2 year old's party that you want to attend?! hahaha :)